The Slander of a Saint

Dear Reader,

A familiar face graces this month’s cover, a face which even Millennial Catholics should recognise. On September 5 we mark the 25th anniversary of Mother Teresa passing from this life into the next. In this issue we tell the story of her life, while Sydney Duval looks back on driving the living saint around Cape Town during her 1988 visit to South Africa.

On page 21 a close friend of St Teresa’s speaks about her complicated interior life, a story that may give us hope and comfort whenever we might experience a “dark night of the soul”. In the centrespread of this issue, you’ll find an attractive poster of the saint.

We Catholics regard Mother Teresa as a saint, but there are people who accuse her of all sorts of ghoulishness. The late atheist activist Christopher Hitchens wrote a particularly damning book about her, which critics of the Church love to cite. It included some truths, some half-truths, some distortions, some uncharitable conclusions, and  some accusations which don’t correspond with reality. It was a hatchet job.

But how many of those who gleefully refer to Hitchens’ polemic have ever touched a leper, cleaned pus out of open sores, held the hands of the dying, or dedicated their lives to letting the rejected die in dignity? That’s how we remember Mother Teresa, even if there were areas that might merit review in the quality of palliative care she offered.

 

The public’s understanding of autism has come a long way since that condition was highlighted in the 1988 film Rain Man. I have a friend in London whose little son is autistic. He writes about his experiences almost daily on Facebook, stories that often amuse but always move the reader. Encouragingly, most members of the public are tolerant of the boy’s quirks and even his tantrums, sometimes with a heartwarming sweetness. It shows a heightened awareness of autism. I wonder how far South Africa is in that regard.

This month, a mother of two autistic sons shares her experience. She writes about how people of faith have impacted on her family’s life, to the point that her sons received the sacrament of Confirmation. It is a touching story, and one that no doubt will give hope to many families living with autism.

On page 10 we continue our interview with Bishop Sithembele Sipuka, president of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference. In this month’s instalment, Bishop Sipuka speaks about the various means of Catholic media. He rightly notes that print media is declining. However, we write it off at our peril. It is the only tangible means of Catholic media we have. A Catholic magazine or newspaper on the proverbial coffee table is a visible sign that this is a Catholic home where the faith is being lived.

Bishop Sipuka notes that radio is an effective means of social communication. Sadly the broadcasting authorities chose to limit the Catholic Church’s ability to use that means by restricting Radio Veritas to Gauteng only. At least it is now easy to stream the station’s content, to anywhere in the world.

Bishop Sipuka is right that the Church must use digital media more effectively. We have a good Catholic presence already on The Southern Cross’ digital platforms: our website, with its invaluable and vast archive, and our social media channels carry new content several times a day. The Southern Cross is not only a monthly magazine but also a daily digital portal. The same number of people manage the digital side as produce this magazine. And it is the income from the magazine that sustains our digital presence. Lose the magazine, and we’ll lose South Africa’s premier Catholic Internet presence. This is one more good reason to energetically support The Southern Cross!

Thank you for supporting and reading The Southern Cross. Please tell your friends about your monthly Catholic magazine, as a favour to us, and as a favour to them.

God bless,
Günther Simmermacher
(Editor)